The White Oak Initiative, a diverse coalition of partners committed to the long-term sustainability of America’s white oak forests, today announced the release of Restoring Sustainability for White Oak and Upland Oak Communities: An Assessment and Conservation Plan, a science-based report that details the current state of America’s white oak forests and recommends a practical plan of action to avoid their decline.
American white oak is a tree species currently occupying more than 104 million acres of public and private forestland across much of the eastern and central United States. Not only do white oak forests support extensive plant and animal biodiversity, white oak is the most commercially important timber oak, generating billions of dollars annually and supplying necessary material to industries such as furniture, flooring, cabinetry, and wine and spirits.